354: Chapter 353 Invitation

The Shangri-La Hotel is the premier, true-to-its-name luxury hotel in Hanzhong City, and is also one of the properties under the Shangri-La Group, the largest hotel group in Asia.

It is widely acclaimed for its high-quality service, excellent hardware facilities, and extremely high threshold.

There might not be anything too extraordinary about being able to stay at the Shangri-La; after all, almost anyone can grit their teeth and afford a standard room at 850 yuan a night. But if you want to stay in a suite, or even book the entire venue, that is not something money alone can buy.

With only 22 VIP suites in total, they are fully booked every night, not to mention the banquet hall, which has absolutely no shortage of reservations. If you are just simply rich without any other status, they won't even spare you a glance.

Wang Shuo belonged to the category of people who wouldn't even be spared a glance.

So, looking at that ordinary yet extraordinary table situated in a corner of the magnificent banquet hall, Wang Shuo turned to Zheng Jun beside him and asked, "Boss, satisfied?"

"Satisfied, extremely satisfied."

Zheng Jun nodded repeatedly, looking like someone who had never seen the world.

Wang Shuo smiled slightly, but felt inexplicably moved in his heart.

With Zheng Jun's family background, what kind of occasion had he not been to? His current behavior was merely to give his brother, who was hosting a dinner for the first time, a bit of confidence.

This man, who seemed rough on the outside, always had a gentle and delicate heart.

Zheng Jun patted Wang Shuo's shoulder. "Second Brother, it seems your godforsaken company has really struck it rich. You can actually afford a place like this. I thought only a show-off like Fourth Brother would come here."

"Company?"

Lin Mengru, who was holding Zheng Jun's arm beside him, heard this and asked, "Wang Shuo, what kind of company did you start? What's its name?"

"Just a small company, not worth mentioning."

Wang Shuo smiled and said, "It can't compare to President Lin."

Lin Mengru covered her mouth and laughed, "Others are just flattering me, so don't tease me, Wang Shuo. If it weren't for you, how could I afford to open a company? Oh right, you still have a thirty percent share with me. I'll transfer it to you sometime."

Wang Shuo smiled and shook his head. "Being able to take a simple weight-loss tea to this level is also a talent. I couldn't do it. As for the shares, I don't need them for now. Just give them to Boss."

"Don't do that."

Zheng Jun said hurriedly, "This is Mengru's goodwill, Second Brother. Just accept it. Why give it to me? I don't understand anything about companies or materials. Mengru, don't listen to him. If he doesn't want it, just keep it for him."

Lin Mengru's eyes flickered as she said softly, "Alright, I'll keep it for you for now."

"Sure."

Wang Shuo didn't mind either.

Lin Mengru's capability was indeed quite good. The company she established had developed smoothly relying on the weight-loss tea project, and she had accumulated a fortune of millions over the past few months, almost leaping to become a wealthy young woman.

But to Wang Shuo, this amount of money couldn't even buy the materials for a single Exoskeleton. It was better to leave it to Boss, which might even help foster their relationship.

Li Li stood nearby, remaining silent from beginning to end, seemingly lost in thought.

After the pleasantries, everyone sat down, and the waiter brought the menu.

The traditional gold-embossed menu was extremely well-crafted, feeling heavy in the hand and looking very high-class.

Wang Shuo handed the menu to Zheng Jun. "Boss, you and Third Brother should order. Order whatever you want, I can still afford this meal."

Zheng Jun laughed, taking the menu. "Then I won't be polite. I must give you a good fleecing today to punish you for showing off your wealth to us."

"Fourth Brother, come, let's see what we're eating today."

Lin Mengru sat beside Zheng Jun, her gaze drifting toward a waiter not far away.

At this moment, the waiter was changing the tables in the central area with neat new covers. The pristine white tablecloths instantly distinguished those tables from the rest.

Seeing that the area being changed was growing larger, Lin Mengru turned and asked, "Excuse me, what are those tables for?"

The waiter glanced over and said, "Those are being prepared for tonight's event. I heard a company is holding its annual meeting here tonight."

"An annual meeting now?"

Lin Mengru said in surprise, "Today is only the 31st, and they're already starting their annual meeting? And don't they need a reservation?"

The waiter shook his head slightly. "A reservation is indeed required."

Lin Mengru's eyes darted around. "Then I want to reserve a hall in January. Is there any vacancy?"

The waiter shook his head again. "Ma'am, reserving the banquet hall requires at least one month's notice. If it's during the period from December 15th to January 30th, you need to book at least three months in advance."

Lin Mengru pointed to the tables not far away. "Did they also book three months in advance?"

The waiter paused slightly, then smiled wryly. "Please don't ask me, I don't know either."

Lin Mengru snorted. "You are the lobby manager here, how can you not know?"

"Ma'am, although I am the lobby manager, I don't have any special privileges. For this kind of matter, you should ask our general manager."

The waiter felt somewhat helpless.

"Alright, Mengru, don't make things difficult for him."

Zheng Jun, who had finished ordering, said a word and pushed the menu over. "Take a look at what else you want to order."

Since Zheng Jun had spoken, Lin Mengru stopped dwelling on it. She took the menu, glanced at it, and turned to ask, "Ah Jun, I want to eat this."

She pointed to the top column of the menu.

Zheng Jun's expression changed slightly. He took the menu back unobtrusively and said softly, "Mengru, this fish is very troublesome to prepare, and since it's winter now, there might not be any live ones. How about we change to another one?"

"But I just want to taste this fish."

Saying that, she turned and asked, "Is this fish available now?"

The waiter smiled wryly. His years of experience had already told him what was going on. He had encountered situations like this before, where the host had an insufficient budget but bit off more than they could chew to treat others, and was carefully accommodated by their friends—it was just that those times hadn't been as tricky as this.

He slightly shifted his gaze to young man who had been sitting quietly and calmly to the side.

Wang Shuo was somewhat dumbfounded, not expecting so much drama just from ordering food.

Braised shad?

What is this? It looks very ordinary just from the name.

"Let me take a look."

Asking for the menu and taking a quick glance, Wang Shuo understood why Zheng Jun did that.

Behind the simple words 'Braised shad' was a price tag in the five figures.

12,888 yuan, which was almost the price of a zero egg, just to eat a single fish.

Wang Shuo really didn't understand the world of the rich.

Returning the menu to the waiter, Wang Shuo said calmly, "Just serve the dishes according to this. Please make it quick."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The waiter responded and hurriedly withdrew.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Zheng Jun's face looked a bit strained as he held his breath and remained silent, while Li Li, who was already a quiet person, became even more silent.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

Wang Shuo asked.

Zheng Jun said with some embarrassment, "Second Brother, I've had that fish before. It doesn't taste good, and it's usually only available in summer. It must be frozen at this time of year. Let's change to another one. I think that carp is pretty good."

Li Li also nodded.

"I thought it was something else, so it was just this."

Wang Shuo smiled and said, "Don't worry, Boss. Since the waiter didn't say anything, they must have it. Just eat with peace of mind."

"But..."

Zheng Jun wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Wang Shuo. "It's fine, Boss. Sister-in-law wants to eat it."

Looking at the nonchalant Wang Shuo, Zheng Jun could only swallow his words and glared fiercely at Lin Mengru beside him.

Lin Mengru lowered her head somewhat aggrievedly and tugged at Zheng Jun's sleeve. Seeing that Zheng Jun ignored her, she said softly, "Alright, I know I was wrong. Don't be angry. If Wang Shuo doesn't have enough money later, at worst, this meal is on me."

Zheng Jun glanced at her and, ultimately unable to bear it, snorted and nodded.

Only then did Lin Mengru cheer up, asking softly, "Ah Jun, you said you've eaten shad before. What does it taste like?"

"I forgot."

Zheng Jun snorted.

"Ah Jun, what exactly does your family do?"

Lin Mengru leaned close to Zheng Jun and continued to ask.

"Didn't I tell you already? We're military. My grandfather was, my dad was, my older sister is too, and I will also join the military in the future."

"Ah Jun..."

Before long, the dishes were brought to the table one by one by the waiter.

Looking at the two of them whispering sweet nothings to each other, Wang Shuo and Li Li simultaneously cast them a look of disdain.

Wang Shuo couldn't help but interrupt Zheng Jun, "Boss, do you want me to find you a Simmons sofa to use?"

Zheng Jun snorted, "Want to watch a live broadcast of us? Let me tell you, no way!"

Lin Mengru blushed with embarrassment, gave Zheng Jun a gentle punch, picked up her chopsticks, and reached toward a fish dish that looked extremely delicious.

With just a light touch, the fish meat easily separated from the bones.

Lin Mengru picked up a piece and placed it on Zheng Jun's plate. "Ah Jun, taste this first and see if it's the same flavor as the one you had before."

Zheng Jun didn't refuse. He put the fish meat in his mouth, chewed gently, and then nodded slightly. "Yes, it's definitely shad."

Wang Shuo smiled and picked up his chopsticks. Glancing at Lin Mengru and Li Li, who were staring at him expectantly, he said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's eat."

With a cheer, Lin Mengru served a piece to herself and another to Zheng Jun, saying to Wang Shuo and Li Li, "I won't help you guys then."

"It's fine. Self-reliance brings ample food and clothing. We don't have the same good fortune as Boss anyway."

Wang Shuo said with a smile, reaching out to take a piece of fish.

As for Li Li, he didn't say a word, picking up a piece of fish and stuffing it straight into his mouth.

The moment the fish meat entered his mouth, it melted instantly, its fresh and delicious flavor rushing straight to his taste buds, leaving a rich, lingering aftertaste.

A fish costing over ten thousand yuan indeed had its merits. Although rich people had plenty of money, they weren't fools after all and wouldn't actually pay an 'IQ tax'.

Wang Shuo thoroughly enjoyed it and was about to take another piece when he suddenly heard a familiar voice ring out beside his ear.

"This is the first time I've ever seen someone eat shad braised."

A handsome figure wearing a white suit appeared in Wang Shuo's field of vision, wearing a punchable smile. "shad is best poached; braising it loses a lot of its flavor."

"President Wu?"

Wang Shuo looked at this familiar figure and called out his name.

"President Wang."

Wu Xie looked at Wang Shuo cheerfully. "I thought you would come a bit later, but I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. Look, how is my outfit? Does it suit my status?"

Wang Shuo felt somewhat helpless. Sometimes he really felt that the Wu Xie in front of him resembled a playboy more than a businessman; his personality was simply too casual.

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Shuo stood up. "Let me introduce you. These are my classmates. Boss: Zheng Jun; Sister-in-law: Lin Wanru; and our dorm's Third Brother: Li Li."

"Classmates?"

Wu Xie was slightly taken aback, but immediately reacted, saying with a smile, "Hello everyone, my name is Wu Xie. I'm a few years older than you, so you can just call me Brother Wu."

Zheng Jun and the others hurriedly greeted him.

After the pleasantries, Wang Shuo pointed to the seat next to him and said, "Since you're here, why don't you sit down and have some?"

Wu Xie looked at the seat next to Wang Shuo with some interest, then glanced around at the others.

"Will this... disturb you guys?"

"Not at all, not at all."

Zheng Jun spoke up, "Brother Wu, just sit down and eat. It's no trouble at all."

"That's good then."

Wu Xie was smiling and just about to sit down when a Middle-aged man rushed over from behind him.

"Young Master Wu, why are you here?"

The Middle-aged man, wearing a straight black tailcoat suit that clearly distinguished him from the other waiters, panted, "I've been looking for you for so long. The venue is almost ready according to your requirements. Would you like to take another look and see if anything else is needed?"

The expression on Wu Xie's face stiffened slightly. He turned and smiled at everyone, saying, "It seems I won't have the chance to eat with you. Go ahead and eat first, I have to go handle some matters."

After saying that, he hurriedly left the table with the Middle-aged man.

"This..."

Zheng Jun and Lin Mengru looked at each other.

"It's fine, let's eat. Dig in."

Wang Shuo ushered them.

Without any further interruptions, everyone quickly restored the lively atmosphere. Amidst laughter and joy, the dinner party was a complete success for both host and guests.

An hour and a half later, at 7:30 PM.

Wang Shuo watched Zheng Jun and the others drive away in their business van, then returned to the hotel.

Wu Xie was currently sitting at a table, looking at him with a grin.

"How was it? Did you blow your cover?"

Wang Shuo shook his head slightly, not dwelling on the question. In fact, whether Zheng Jun and the others knew or not made no difference to him.

"Why did you come so early?"

Wang Shuo asked with a frown.

Wu Xie leaned back in his chair and said casually, "You have no idea how frustrated I've been at home these past few days. Everyone has been criticizing me verbally and in writing. Staying there was just torture. It just so happened that you called, so I came early."

"No matter what, this is my first time attending our company's general shareholders' meeting. I can't be late, can I?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward the venue being set up in the distance and asked, "How is it? Not bad, right?"

Wang Shuo took a look and nodded slightly. "Not bad. Consider it a favor I owe you."

"Tch, who cares about your favor? If you really want to show gratitude, please run our company well and let me hold my head high in front of those old and young folks at home. I would be immensely grateful to you."

Saying that, Wu Xie asked, "I used my connections to book the entire main banquet hall this time. How many people from the company are coming?"

Wang Shuo did a rough head count and replied calmly, "About seven or eight."

"Seven or eight?!"

Wu Xie's eyes widened.

"Yeah." Wang Shuo nodded. "Maybe not even that many. Some people might not be able to make it."

Wu Xie: "..."

"Our company has been operating for so long, and we have only this many people?"

Wu Xie found it somewhat hard to believe. This was truly the most pathetic staffing he had ever seen for a company worth hundreds of millions.

As for other companies, which one didn't have crowds of people? There were dozens of people just in HR alone, doing nothing every day but studying how to mess with their employees.

But here with Wang Shuo, let alone HR, there wasn't even a secretary.

Could there be anything more pathetic than this?

"Forget it, I won't ask anymore."

Wu Xie waved his hand listlessly. "Anyway, I've prepared the venue for you. I squeezed it out from other people's schedules. It's big enough to hold eight hundred people. Do as you see fit."

Wang Shuo did not speak, but simply took out his phone and entered a line of commands.

A moment later, a message appeared on the screen, containing only a few words.

"Sir, all matters are ready. Shall we begin initialization?"

Wang Shuo looked at the time and said calmly, "Begin."